Earning Half A College Degree Is Better Than None

College
graduates may have $27,000 worth of student loans to worry about,
but at least they have this small source of comfort: bigger
paychecks for life.

But what about
college dropouts? They're another story: Is it worth spending
thousands of dollars on a degree you never actually
finish?

In fact, new research shows that even getting half a degree may
be better than none.

Students who don't finish their degrees still earn up to $8,000
more per year than those with just a high school diploma,
according to a report by Washington, D.C.-based
think tank, The Hamilton Project.

That adds an additional $100,000 worth of income over their
lifetime –– for a total
9.1% return on investment. To put this in perspective,
that's three
points higher than the average annual stock market return and
seven points higher than returns on U.S. Treasury bonds.

To be fair, subject matter plays a big role in college ROI,
whether you graduate or not.

Studying art history for a year and then dropping out likely
won't net the same lucrative job prospects as, say, economics.
And where you wind up working plays a huge role in determining
whether you'll be able to pay down any debt incurred along the
way.

According to Bankrate.com, advertising degree-holders need
just six years to pay back their student loan debt, compared to
teachers and librarians, who typically need more than 20
years.